Project Orbots Phase 2
Once all the rough sculpting was done it was time to go back and refine the design. This reworking of the sculpt was what I called phase 2. It was almost like starting all over again because a lot more attention had to go into getting all the little details right. I had to figure out how far I wanted to go in terms of what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to ignore detailwise. Throughout the cartoon there are any instances where the character model of Mighty Orbots is inconsistent or contradictory to what's established. In the refining of the sculpt I had to figure out what I felt was the definitive look of the robot.
I got a little tired of the project so I didn't put much thought into the rear detail of the lower legs. I just wanted to get done. I'd already put three weeks of my time into it by this point and I just wanted to get it over with. That's why the legs suck from the back, but I don't give a crap because I'm not going to look at its back when it's finished. Once the refined sculpt was where I wanted it, I primed all the parts and wet sanded them twice. Priming is necessary because sculpey clay has an earthy, grainy texture and won't sand as smooth as I'd like, which isn't a problem once it's primed.
Since I'm a total amateur working with only the most basic of tools, there are a lot of mistakes in the sculpt. There are flat surfaces that are uneven, lines and edges that aren't totally sharp, unintentional asymmetry, and other craptastic problems. These are the usual complaints modelers have about resin garage kits. But since I don't mass produce these figures for the general public, I don't have to worry about people taking shots at my workmanship. I know what's wrong with my sculpts and I don't need anybody telling me what I didn't get right. In short, I acknowledge that there are flaws in my work and since this is only done as a hobby I only have to make me happy.
With the sculpting, priming, and sanding done it's time for the mold making. I use cereal box cardboard and glue for my mold boxes. Other people use legos to make their mold boxes, but I've found the RTV rubber I use seeps through the seams of the lego bricks and legos often don't conform to the kind of shapes I'd like my mold boxes to be, and since I make many molds at once I'd need a buttload of legos to make multiple boxes. In short, using legos to make mold boxes wastes too much time and materials. So I make my own boxes. Cereal box cardboard is essentially free and plentiful around my house. Elmer's glue is watertight once dried so my boxes don't leak. Every milliliter of RTV gets used in the molds and none seeps away. All of the parts of my Mighty Orbots figure ended up fitting into eight molds.